Cicada HTH presents: Bench to Boardroom Networking Event
Description
Join us at Cicada Healthtech Hub Westmead for Bench to Boardroom, a networking night for researchers and emerging leaders. You’ll hear from people who’ve built careers in start-ups, industry and beyond, and meet others across the health and life sciences community.
🧪 What you'll gain
Real stories of researchers who’ve moved into leadership roles in start-ups, industry, government and the for-purpose sector.
Practical tips on changing how you communicate as you step from team member to leader.
A clearer sense of your own leadership style through an interactive activity.
Candid advice from the panel on commercialisation, executive roles and entrepreneurship.
The chance to put your own career questions to experienced leaders.
New connections across the Westmead health and life sciences community.
🎤 Speakers Include:
Welcome & Opening remarks: Lilly Bojarski, GM, Cicada HealthTech Hub
Keynote: Julia Palmer (Keynote): Relational Strategist and CEO, Relatus
Dr Gisela Mautner: ASX-listed biotech CEO and founder of Mautner Docs, formerly at Noxopharm, MSD, Bayer and Amgen
Joss Morris: Principal Adviser at Joss Morris Advisory
Shane Herbert: Executive and leadership coach, Vistage
🥂 Program at a Glance
5:00pm: Arrivals, registration and networking
5:30pm: Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
5:45pm: Keynote and interactive leadership activity with Julia Palmer
6:45pm: Panel discussion and audience Q&A
7:45pm: Networking drinks and canapés
8:30pm: Close
Capacity is limited. Register now to secure your place at this important gathering of the healthtech and biotech innovation community.
Find out more about the Cicada HealthTech Hub
The Cicada HealthTech Hub is proudly supported by NSW Government and is part of the Westmead’s Health & Innovation District. The district includes 4 major hospitals, 4 world-leading medical research institutes, 2 university campuses and the largest research-intensive pathology service in NSW. By 2036, the number of full-time staff will increase to more than 50,000 and the number of students will expand to more than 10,000. Among the first projects for development is a viral vector advanced manufacturing facility to provide ground-breaking trial therapies for infections, cancer and genetic diseases.
Lineup
Julia Palmer
Julia Palmer is a Relational Strategist, keynote speaker and CEO of Relatus. For over 20 years, she has helped individuals and organisations develop the human skills needed to build meaningful relationships, strengthen collaboration and achieve greater outcomes. An award-winning learning and development specialist, Julia works across industries, including universities and research institutions, helping professionals turn their expertise and connections into valuable relationship capital. Her engaging and practical approach demonstrates that the skills needed to connect, influence and lead can be learned and developed.
Shane Herbert
Shane Herbert brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership, management consulting and professional services to his work with business owners and CEOs. He has led teams and businesses through growth and change, with a focus on strategy execution, leadership development and sales performance. His career began as an Army officer and has since included leading the Australian operations of two global professional services firms. He has worked with subsidiaries of global companies, an Australian business preparing for an ASX listing and a private equity owned company modernising and scaling its operations. More recently, he has helped clients improve business processes and deliver digital transformation through a global management consulting firm. Shane has advised organisations across manufacturing, logistics, FMCG, medical devices, defence technology and smart sensing. He has also supported founders and technology hubs through business advisory and team coaching. As a coach and mentor, he helps leaders sharpen their strategic focus, develop future leaders and build teams that can carry plans into action. As a coach, mentor or advisor, Shane is known for helping business owners and CEOs to gain clarity, sharpen their strategic focus, and build synergy through developing future leaders and high performing teams.
Dr Gisela Mautner
Dr Gisela Mautner is a physician-scientist and health-sector leader with a track record of building teams, functions and programs that deliver lasting impact. Over two decades in pharma and biotech, she has worked across all phases of clinical development and helped bring more than 20 medicines to patients, including a first-in-class cancer immunotherapy. She built a field medical affairs function from the ground up and, after succeeding the founder of an ASX-listed biotech as CEO and Managing Director, led its strategic pivot to a platform company, securing two FDA INDs and three Orphan Drug Designations. Gisela served as President of MAPA (Medical Affairs Professionals of Australasia) and now chairs the BioNSW Biotech Committee, where she established the inaugural BioNSW Life Sciences Awards. An experienced non-executive director and STEM Champion Award recipient, she today supports biotech start-ups on their commercialisation journey. Trained in Munich (MD, PhD) and at the US National Institutes of Health, she holds an MPH from Harvard and an MBA from Kellogg, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Joss Morris
Joss Morris is Principal Advisor at Joss Morris Advisory. With a Bachelor of Science in Applied Chemistry and an Executive MBA, she brings more than 20 years’ experience across medical devices and diagnostics, spanning established global businesses, startups and scaleups. Her career has taken her from a scientific foundation into commercial and marketing leadership, including joining CellAED® as its first marketing hire and progressing to Head of Global Marketing, helping bring a new personal defibrillator to market. She has recently established Joss Morris Advisory, focusing on health technology commercialisation, go-to-market strategy and customer adoption. Joss brings a practical perspective on moving from science into industry, growing into leadership and establishing her own advisory business.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
